O'Neill & Connolly to Share 'Keeper Coach Duties

The move sees O’Neill, a brother of the legendary Alan, return to the club following a five-year absence, after he worked in the same role under John Gill in 2006.

The 51-year-old left at the end of that season due to personal reasons. He was set to return for the 2008 campaign but instead moved to Bohemians after being offered full-time terms to work under Pat Fenlon.

That provided Connolly with a chance to come in as Goalkeeping Coach for the First Division-winning season. The locally-based 43-year-old is also currently the club’s Youth Development Officer and U19 manager.

And now he will work together with O’Neill, with the pair to share four days’ training and home and away matches.

“The way it’s going to work is Martin is going to take training twice a week and do the home matches,” McCaffrey explained to dundalkfc.com.

“Dermot is going to take training the other two days and take the away matches.

“It means then that Martin’s good work with the U19s won’t be interfered with, and it also means that we get the benefit of him working at first-team level.”

Both Connolly and O’Neill spent time as a player at Oriel Park.

Connolly, incidentally, was understudy to Alan O’Neill, making two senior appearances in the 1991/92 campaign, during the Turlough O’Connor era.

O’Neill, having been at Shamrock Rovers as a youth, made his first-team debut for Dundalk in the 1980/81 season, making a total of three appearances.

However, after being unable to force his way into Jim McLaughlin’s plans with Richie Blackmore as No1, he departed.

He went on to play for Bohemians and Derry City, where he won an FAI Cup in 1995, as well as Irish League clubs Glenavon, where he won an Irish Cup in 1997, and Ballymena United.